Steve Ballmer has just announced that in the first three days of being on sale, more than 4 million people have bought the Windows 8 upgrade. This doesn't count OEM installations or Microsoft's own Surface - just individual upgrades. Definitely a promising start for Windows 8, but then, these are most likely enthusiasts (I'm one of those four million), so we still don't know a whole lot. I'm patiently waiting for the response from regular consumers.

What you're talking about is ASIO, and it's one of the few things I truly love about Windows.

Linux can do real time audio processing via jack. But it's not a patch on running your favourite VSTs on an ASIO interface in Windows.

I know there are professional producers who use Linux and enthusiasts who swear blind that Linux is good for music production - and with enough time and patience then I'm sure Linux could be. But as a full time Linux user myself, I'd still rather use my favourite Windows DAW and spend my time being creative rather than trying to build a competitive Linux audio platform. In fact that's the only reason I even keep a copy of Windows laying about.